


Coup

by Kate1013



Category: Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Humor, Team
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-15
Updated: 2010-07-15
Packaged: 2017-10-21 01:52:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/219579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kate1013/pseuds/Kate1013
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>People actually "talk" about "stuff"... Set before, during and after Sam goes off to Atlantis.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "A coup consists of the infiltration of a small, but critical, segment of the state apparatus, which is then used to displace the government from its control of the remainder" Edward Luttwak.

"So...?" Daniel asked, sending a look Jack's way. A slight rise of his eyebrows appeared above his glasses; a shrug in his shoulders; fingers picking at the label on his bottle.

Jack merely glanced at him while taking a swig of beer.

"When are you going to ask her?"

"Ask who, what?"

"Sam," Daniel said pointedly with his eyes. "Jack... she's going away to another galaxy – you can't tell me that you haven't even thought about asking her..."

Jack simply frowned. "Asking her what?"

For a moment Daniel froze, his look of shock morphed into one of disbelief. "You're not are you?" He asked. "You're not going to and the thought hasn't even crossed your mind..."

"Daniel," Jack stated, "I haven't the foggiest what you are-" he suddenly cut himself short, avoiding his friend's gaze and taking a gulp from his beer, "- going on about."

"Jack..."

"I'm out of beer," He rose from his deckchair and disappeared back into the kitchen. Not letting up, Daniel followed him, leaving the rest of the people outside none the wiser.

"Jack..." Daniel uttered the minute he entered the room.

Jack stared into the fridge for a long moment, "Daniel, just drop it, will ya?"

"But-"

Jack slammed the fridge door and focused his stare on the younger male. "Daniel, what part of 'drop it' don't you get?"

"You have _thought_ about it haven't you?"

A large sigh left Jack's lips. "We're not going to have this conversation..."

"Why?" He leant against the wall, arms instantly crossing across his chest. "What harm could it do... unless..." Daniel paused and looked his friend up and down for minute. "Did she say 'no'?" He asked in surprise.

"No, she didn't say no!" Jack replied grouchily, "I haven't even asked her!"

"But you have thought about it?"

"Of course I've thought about it!" Jack cried. "You don't think it's something I think about?"

"Er..." Daniel simply frowned and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I'm not... really?"

Jack shook his head from side to side before glancing down at the bottle in his hands. He leaned back against the counter and crossed his feet one over the other. "It's complicated, Daniel..." He sighed.

"Then explain it to me."

"I distinctly remember you once telling me that you didn't want to hear anything about what goes on between me and Sam..."

Daniel Shrugged. "Yeah well, this is different."

"How?"

Daniel pursed his lips. "Well that was about intimate stuff I really don't want to think about. This is... this is stuff that you need to talk about – like I said, different."

He shrugged again when Jack simply frowned at him. Shaking his head, Jack merely stared back at the bottle again. "I don't want this to be about Sam going away."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it. If I ask her, she will just think I'm only asking because she's going away, when that's what not what asking her should be about." Jack sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. "I've been in the military a long time Daniel. I've seen couples get engaged or married before their husbands or wives are sent away on potentially dangerous missions. It's what military people do. We're so afraid of losing people we try and do bold drastic things to make up for it."

"And you think... asking Sam to marry you now would be bold and drastic?"

"See... I knew you wouldn't get it." Jack turned away from him and stared out of the kitchen window. He could see all their guests mingling in the garden, many of whom would miss Sam almost as much as he would, he guessed. He tried searching for her among them, feeling disappointed when he couldn't spot her.

"You think if you ask her now, then the whole concept of asking her at all, would actually lose its meaning?" Daniel asked. His voice was quiet but it still cut the silence in the room like a knife.

"Yeah..." Jack whispered back.

"So... you were gathering up the courage to ask her anyway, and then this whole Atlantis thing happens and ruins your plans?"

"Something like that..."

"Hmmm..."

"What?" Jack peered over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Daniel.

"Well it's just..."

"What?"

"Well, you don't think actually talking to her about it, might do you some good?"

Jack shrugged and turned around, sticking his hands in his pockets and staring at his feet. "We did talk about it once..."

"Oh?"

"Just in loose terms, you know, not about us or anything, but the idea of it in general... sometime in the future... you know..."

"Oh my God, you've been reduced to babbling..."

"Hey, you wanted to know!"

"I know... I'm just.. .having a little fun..." He smiled and then glanced at Jack, all straight faced again. "Seriously, you had this talk... and then what? How long ago?" He gestured with his hand, waving it in the air.

Jack shrugged. "A year ago, or so... maybe less..."

"So you talked about... planted the seed...bided your time..."

"Hey, I was just waiting for the right moment!"

"Ah, Jack the romantic..."

"Well I don't see you wanting to ask anyone!"

"Yeah, well-" Daniel promptly shut his mouth, his pause long enough to make Jack smirk at him.

Their eyes crossed paths for mere seconds before they both turned away. Jack back to his feet, Daniel to a random spot on the floor in front of him.

"So... you gonna ask her?"

Their eyes met once more.

Jack ran a hand down his face again. "Don't know, Danny boy, I don't know..."


	2. Chapter 2

It took Jack ten minutes to find her. In fact he was surprised that no one else had noticed she was missing, considering she was the reason why there were lots of people were chomping on burgers and downing beers in the back yard.

He slid down beside her on the front porch step, deliberately nudging her shoulder with his as he did so. Sam peered up at him with a thin smile that didn't meet her eyes, forcing Jack to reach his right arm around her shoulder and pull her close, placing a soft kiss on her temple.

Sam squeezed his knee affectionately. "I can't not go."

"I know..."

"It doesn't stop me from not wanting to though..."

Jack sighed. "Yeah I know that too..."

Sam smiled up at him sadly. "And we both know that if I didn't you would be just as disappointed."

Jack nodded and mimicked her expression. "Yeah and we both know that you would be too."

Sam broke her gaze, staring down at their feet and nodded silently. A moment of silence slipped between them and Sam almost thought Jack was holding his breath; scared to say what was on his mind.

"Sometimes I feel that we weren't even given a proper chance..."

At the sound of her whisper, Jack shifted beside her, his head canted to one side. "What do you mean?" He murmured.

Sam shrugged, but they both knew there was more she wanted to say. Her eyes sought his and after a beat, she tried again. "We had to move apart, in order to be together... and... and just when I think things are going great, I get moved back to the SGC... It was as hard for me as it was for you..."

Jack watched as Sam turned away again, her fingers picking with a bit of dirt on the step beside her. They'd talked about the change when it happened; how it would affect their relationship and what they would do to overcome any problems. They didn't talk about how, sometimes, Jack would call her when he couldn't sleep from worry, or how Sam often called before she went off on a mission. Despite that fact the both of them knew.

"You feel that each step you take, is taking you further away? From me? From us?"

Jack's quiet tone forced Sam to suck in a deep breath. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, as she nodded her head, feeling her eyes sting. "Yeah..." She let out a shaky breath, "But that doesn't mean that I want it to..." She looked up into his eyes, pleading with him to understand. "It took us years to get where we are now... and if I could stay, I'd..."

"You'd what?"

They stared at each other for long moment, their eyes roaming each other's. Silent communication always was a skill of theirs, but sometimes Jack wondered how much Sam was actually saying to him and how much of what he interpreted was just wishful thinking.

Sam tore her eyes away, causing Jack to wonder just what his face was projecting.

His head, heart and lungs were screaming at him, and for once he didn't have the ability to force their cries away. "Sam..." It took a squeeze of her shoulder to make her hands still. "How much, in there, did you hear?"

A wave of guilt washed over her and Sam felt tears prick in her eyes again as she risked throwing him a glance. "Most of it..."

A rush of air expelled from Jack's lungs, causing strands of Sam's hair to filter across her face. Remaining silent, he pulled her in closer and rubbed his hand up and down her arm before leaning his head unto hers. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her temple.

"It's okay," She whispered back.

"I should have spoken to you first, but you know Daniel..."

"Once he gets an idea into his head..." Sam finished for him.

They shared a small smile. "Something like that..."

"I agree, you know..." She peered up at him, unable to hide the grin that was threatening to emerge on her face.

Jack frowned, then merely raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You do?"

"Yeah..." Her grin increased two-fold.

"About which bit?" A nervous laugh tumbled out of Sam's mouth and she shook her head in amusement. "So...?" He waved his left hand in the air in front of them.

Sam uncurled her lip and smiled into his eyes. "I don't think we need to be engaged to know that neither of us are going to go anywhere while I'm away..." Jack nodded in agreement. "But..."

Jack's eyebrows almost disappeared. "But?" He asked, when Sam dragged her sentence out for far too long.

Sam simply shrugged. " I like surprises..."

A loud bellow of her name caused Sam to turn to peer into the house. A shadowed figure was heading towards them, and although neither could see who it was, Sam could recognise Cassie's voice from anywhere.

She turned back to Jack, almost missing the look of confusion on his brow. "Surprise me," She added, before leaning to place a kiss upon his lips.

It was meant to be small and quick, but the shock must have worn off on Jack sooner than expected and he drew her in further, savouring the moment.

"I should've known..." Cassie muttered as soon as she appeared in the doorway, their actions in full view.

"Five minutes," Jack stated, pulling back briefly, and not even looking at the young woman before pressing his lips back to Sam's.


	3. Chapter 3

"Daniel?"

Daniel looked over from the image on the office wall to see Jack peering at him from across the hallway. He carried a file in his hand, which he unceremoniously dumped in a tray on his receptionist's desk, ignoring the look the young woman gave him.

"What are you doing here?"

Daniel shrugged his hands deep in his pockets as he wandered over towards where Jack stood. "I have a few meetings with the Pentagon regarding some artefacts we found... thought I'd swing by to say hello while I'm here."

"With Davis, right?"

Daniel nodded, "Among others, yes."

"So you're in town for a few days?" Again Daniel nodded. "Need somewhere to stay?"

-0-

About an hour later, the two men were sitting on Jack's sofa, beers in hand, sport on the TV and half eaten pizzas that sat in boxes on the coffee table.

"So," Daniel began, "Have you spoken to Sam much since she left?"

"A few times," Jack answered, before taking a long sip from his bottle. "Mainly via email... Cassie showed me how to record one of those video thingies." He waved his hand in the air in a vague gesture.

"So..." Stumped for the correct way to ask, Daniel let his sentence dwindle out and gulped down some beer.

Jack glanced at him sideways. "What?"

Daniel shifted in his seat. "Are you two...?"

"What?"

"You know," Daniel gestured with his hands, his bottle wobbling in his grasp, "Engaged?"

Jack's eyes widened, taking his time in lowering the bottle from his lips. "No..."

"No?"

"No..."

"But I thought-"

"You thought what?"

Daniel quickly pushed his glasses up his nose. "Cassie said she caught you two at it the day of the farewell barbecue and you were so touchy feely for days afterwards, I just assumed... you know..."

"Well you assumed wrong..."

"Really?" Daniel cried. "Huh!"

Jack simply took another swig before leaning over to pick up another slice of pizza. He stuffed the food into his mouth and chewed in silence for a few moments, ignoring his friend's blatant glances.

After another eyeball from his friend, Jack relented, "We talked about it, okay?" He sighed.

"You did?"

"Yeah... she heard us in the kitchen..."

Daniel caught Jack's glare and automatically glanced away. The older man smiled to himself – at least his friend had the decency to appear a little guilty.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Jack shrugged, "Well, at least it's out in the open now..."

"And yet you didn't ask her?"

Jack hunched his shoulders up. "She didn't want me to!"

"What? I thought you said she didn't say no?"

"She didn't say no, because I didn't ask her."

Daniel closed his eyes and shook his head for a second. He put his beer bottle down on the table and gestured at Jack with the other. "Jack! You're not making _any_ sense!"

"Daniel," Jack tilted his head, "She's been engaged twice before, and although they say third time's the charm, I don't think she really wants to go through that whole saga again."

Daniel frowned. "But you both want to get married?"

Jack nodded before adding, "Besides she agrees with me on the whole 'going away' thing..."

"And yet you both want to get married?" Daniel repeated again.

Jack stuffed another bit of pizza in his mouth. "Uh-hu..."

Daniel chomped on a few bites of pizza, nodding his head slightly. "So, let me get this straight? You talked about it; both agreed you want to get married; agreed you didn't want it to be because of the 'going away' thing," he even used his fingers as quote marks to which earned him another glare, "and yet still didn't ask her?"

Jack paused, before agreeing. "That about sums it up."

"Why not?"

"She told me to surprise her!"

"And how are you going to do that?"

"I don't know," Jack shrugged and downed his drink. "I'll think of something."

Daniel scoffed, "Yeah right..."

A sly smile crossed over Jack's face as he peered over at his companion. "Now that Jacob's gone I suppose I could always talk to her brother..."

The other man merely raised his eyebrows.

"If I play it right, maybe he'll offer her to me as a gift..."

Daniel's beer flew out of his mouth and landed on his shirt, the action only causing Jack to laugh even harder.


	4. Chapter 4

"So... what's in the box?"

"What box?"

"That box."

Sam looked at Rodney with confusion lining her brow. He waggled his eyebrows over zealously at the box that sat on her desk. It was about a foot square and wrapped in brown paper with a label with her name on it. Beside it sat a few letters and Sam assumed that they must have come through the Stargate with one of the regular shipments from Earth.

"Why?"

"You're making something aren't you?"

"What?" Sam looked from the box and up to Rodney again. He had a smug look on his face. She was about to say something to wipe it off when Dr Keller knocked on her open door.

"Sorry," Jennifer said when she saw that Sam's office was already occupied.

"No, its okay," Sam said, waving her in. "Rodney was just leaving..." She threw the man a look over her shoulder, pushing herself off from her desk in an attempt to get him moving.

Rodney waved his head, "Don't think you're getting away with it that easily..."

"Rodney-" Sam began, her voice sounding a touch irritated.

"I'm right aren't I?" He sneered. "You _are_ making something..."

"What's this?" Jennifer perked up.

"Sam's creating something in secret," Rodney claimed, turning to the young doctor.

"No, I'm not..." Sam said, a little exasperated.

"Yeah... of course you are... I mean, why else would you get parcels every month in a box that normally houses mechanical parts?" He shifted slightly, allowing Jennifer to lean in and get a glimpse of the infamous box.

Sam glanced from both their faces and down at the parcel. He was right. She'd got a box every month from Jack and hadn't even realised he was using some of the boxes that she'd had stored in her garage. Some of them were still left over from when Orlin had bought parts to build the stargate.

"I don't know, Rodney..." Jennifer was saying, her eyes scrutinising the handwriting on the label, "In my experience there's normally another very good reason why an attractive, intelligent woman, who's away from home, would get a regular parcel such as this one..."

Sam could feel a faint flush start its way up her cheeks.

"Really?" Rodney asked, and he glanced from one female to the other.

Sam glared briefly at the doctor before turning and moving around to the other side of her desk. "Rodney," she sighed, "I can assure you it's nothing for you to be concerned about..."

Rodney opened his mouth to retort but the red tint on his commander's face made him pause. Long enough for the gate klaxon to kick off and for the two women beside him to disappear. He stared at the offending box for a few moments before disappearing himself.

-0-

The late evening sun was beating down on her face and Sam closed her eyes, savouring the heat and the wisps of wind that danced in her hair. If she tried hard enough, she could almost make herself believe she was in another chair, on another deck, on another planet... somewhere... almost...

 

She smiled to herself and opened her eyes. She looked down at the notes in her hand - all five of them to be exact. Each one had arrived amongst a collection of items in a parcel, similar to the one that she received today. Each one had a single letter in black on the front. At least that's what it looked like. And each one totally didn't make sense. It was _so_ totally Jack.

The chime on her door sounded, and Sam glanced down at the notes again. She was comfortable sitting out here on her balcony, an ancient deck chair beneath her frame and legs propped up on the railing. "It's open!" She called, hoping that whoever it was could hear her.

She listened as the doors swished open and then closed, followed by a few shuffles, before a figure emerged beside her in the doorway to her room.

"Hi." Jennifer stood with her hands clasped in front of her.

Sam smiled. "Hi, take a seat." She waved with her hand at the chair beside her.

Jennifer hesitated slightly, before doing as she was told. "I came to apologise about before..."

Sam simply frowned.

 

"You know," Jennifer added, "When Rodney was pestering you about that parcel?"

"Oh...that."

"I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"That's okay," Sam smiled. "You didn't..." Jennifer merely raised an eyebrow. "Well," she continued, "I don't think Rodney really understood what you were going on about, so..."

Jennifer returned her smile. "Yeah... He can be a bit dense sometimes..."

Sam chuckled and looked back out at the ocean.

"So..."

This time it was Sam's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Is it serious?"

Sam considered feigning ignorance, but thought better of it. Jennifer was intelligent enough to work it out the first time. Trying to fool her again would be pointless. "Yeah...you could sat that."

"Hmmm..." Jennifer smiled. "Sounds ambiguous..."

Sam returned the gesture. "It's complicated."

Jennifer snorted. "Show me a relationship that isn't..." They shared a smile before a comfortable silence descended upon them and they both peered back out at the water. But curiosity soon won out and Jennifer couldn't help but turn to the woman beside her. "So... what was in that box anyway?"

Sam smiled to herself. "All sorts of things really..." The look she received was one of amusement. Her eyes must have wondered down to the pile of notes in her lap, for before long Jennifer's gaze had landed on them and she gestured at them with a tilt of her head. Sam merely sighed. "Okay... but this isn't everything." She handed over the notes and studied Jennifer's face.

Jennifer looked at each note in turn. W L L Y M. "What does this mean?"

"That's just it," Sam sighed, "I'm not sure."

"You're not sure?"

"One arrives in every parcel - each time with a single letter on the front."

"You think it's some sort of code?" Jennifer asked.

Sam shrugged. "Right now, your guess is as good as mine."

"Have you asked him?"

Sam nodded. "He always claims he has no idea what I'm talking about..." Her memory of the conversation invaded her mind and she shook her head, unable to prevent a wistful smile from emerging upon her face. Suddenly she realised that Jennifer was the first person that she'd spoken to about this, apart from Jack. A sudden sadness enveloped her. But no sooner had it arrived, than it disappeared when the woman beside her threw her a smile.

"So it is serious..." Jennifer leered.

A faint tint of pink flushed her cheeks again and Sam couldn't help but laugh out loud at herself. In some ways she felt like she was a teenager again. Jack had managed to reduce her to a pile of goo and he wasn't even in the same galaxy. "You have no idea..." She muttered.

"Well..." Jennifer began, "Enlighten me..." The incredulous look thrown her way didn't go unnoticed and she shrugged, adding, "Come on, I'm a single girl stuck on a planet with a bunch of brooding aliens and no chick flicks!"

Sam smiled. "I have a bunch of classics on dvd that arrived recently..."

"Gone with the wind?"

Sam screwed up her nose. "I prefer Casablanca myself..."

Jennifer cleared her throat and put on a deep voice "Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon..."

Sam laughed. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship..."


	5. Chapter 5

Sam stared down at the collection of notes in her hand and shuffled through them one last time before adding them to the box at her feet. The photo was next, and she picked it up, knowing that she had deliberately left it till last. Fingering the frame, she couldn't help but smile. It suddenly felt weird, knowing she had something to go home to. Some _one_ , she corrected herself. Funny how that never got old...

A quiet knock on the open door had her suddenly stuffing the frame into the box.

"Hey," Jennifer cried, pushing herself off of the door frame and into the room. "Thought you might need a hand..."

"Thanks," Sam glanced at the doctor before giving the room another quick sweep. "But I'm almost done..."

"I meant the boxes," Jennifer motioned to the few remaining at Sam's feet. "Unless you really wanted me trawling through your stuff...?"

Sam smiled and simply shrugged away her folly.

Together they piled up the remaining boxes and considered how to transport them back to the gate. Not wanting to make more than one trip, they each took two and wandered down the corridor.

"Did you ever work out that code?" Jennifer asked, nodding to the letters peeking out of one of the boxes she was holding.

A sudden grin lit up Sam's face."Yeah..." Jennifer's eyebrows suddenly shot up. "Well," Sam continued, "It was kind of obvious after a while..."

Jennifer merely stopped mid stride, causing Sam to slow and turn back to the woman behind her.

"What?" Sam asked.

"I can't believe you figured it out and you didn't tell me!" She cried indignantly.

If she weren't carrying two boxes, Sam would have shrugged. "He didn't exactly make it difficult," she continued, ignoring the other woman's dazed expression. "Besides... he never actually finished it."

"What do you mean?" Jennifer asked, joining Sam by her side and picking up the pace again. "He didn't _finish_ it?"

"Well, after all those consonants, he started on the vowels..."

"So it _was_ a sentence?" Jennifer enquired.

Sam tilted her head slightly, "Well, more like a question actually..." A small laugh escaped when she turned and saw the puzzled look in Jennifer's face. "But, he missed off a few letters so..."

"So... _what?_ "

Sam tried to hide the grin on her face. This time she did pause and shrug. "He never finished his question..."

"But you are going to answer it... right?"

Sam lost her battle with her inner self and beamed at the doctor before disappearing around the corner.

Jennifer's voice appeared strained as she hurried after her commander. " _Right_...?"


	6. Chapter 6

"So..."

"Daniel," Jack narrowed his eyes at his friend, "If you continue to start a sentence with that exact same word every time I see you, I'm going to have to shoot you..."

Lips poised to speak, Daniel merely shrugged and took a sip of his drink instead. "You work out a way to surprise Sam yet?"

Jack tipped his bottle in his friend's direction. "To the point... I like it."

"Avoiding the question?" Daniel raised an eyebrow.

"Imitating Teal'c?"

Daniel frowned. That was the second time Jack had trumped him in a matter of seconds.

"The eyebrow," Jack stated, in case he didn't get it.

"Boy, these _are_ avoidance tactics..." Daniel said jubilantly.

Jack merely shrugged. "Not so much."

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Teal'c and Cameron chose that exact moment to return to the table with more drinks. The two of them slipped easily into the booth and immediately noticed the silence surrounding the two other men.

"Are we interrupting something?" Teal'c enquired. He had tipped his head to one side and had slightly raised one eyebrow.

"Nope!" Jack cried.

"Jack was just telling me how he was planning on surprising Sam," Daniel added breezily. He lowered his drink onto the table and smirked at the glare radiating from the man opposite.

"Really?" Cam piped up. All eyes automatically fell on him. Cam merely shrugged. "Sam's pretty smart. She's bound to have figured out that you're going to be there when she arrives back on Earth. Hardly a surprise now is it?"

Jack turned back to Daniel with a smirk of his own. "See Daniel, I told ya!"

"Actually," Daniel began, "That's not what we were discussing..."

"Daniel..."

"Oh, for Christ's sake Jack, Teal'c probably already knows!"

Jack glanced from one man to the other, the two sitting side by side with slight smirks on their faces.

Once the staring contest was over, Daniel threw his friend a knowing look. "Teal'c?"

"I believe I do, Daniel Jackson."

"What?" Jack threw an accusatory hand in the air at the Jaffa, "How can you possible know from that?"

"Ah, come on, Teal'c knows everything..." Daniel added.

"Indeed."

The simple comment elicited a chuckle from the remaining person among them, and Jack simply turned to the man by his side and glared. "What are you laughing at?" He asked.

Cam paused, his bottle hovering near his lips."Well... sir," The honorific automatically slipping off his tongue, "Teal'c is not only one of the smartest people I know but also the sneakiest... always witnessing things he shouldn't be... and yet never saying a word about it."

"Care to share?" Jack studied the colonel with vague interest.

"Uh...I wasn't..." Cam stuttered, his face suddenly growing red in embarrassment.

Jack just smiled triumphantly to himself.

"You forget that I have seen that smile before, O'Neill."

The smile promptly vanished from Jack's face while Teal'c effortlessly nodded his head in his own form of triumph.

"Okay..." Daniel uttered. He glanced at the people round the table and shook his head in confusion. He pushed his glasses up his nose and fiddled with the bottle in his hands. "Anyway," he sighed, "Back to Jack and his surprise..."

"Forget it Daniel," Jack stated. "I've already put something in motion."

"You have?" Daniel asked, astonished.

"Yep!"

"And?"

"And what?"

"Well something must've happened or you wouldn't be sitting here appearing so grouchy."

"I'm not grouchy!"

The table went silent and Jack frowned at each man in turn.

"So...?"

"What did I say about shooting you?"

Three pairs of eyebrows automatically shot up as their heads turned to stare at him. A sudden silence surrounded their area of the bar and Jack huffed to himself over his sudden outburst.

"Oh, for crying out loud, Daniel!"

"What?" The other man gestured with his hands.

"It failed, okay?" He faked a smile, his sarcastic expression and tone just begging Daniel to cross him.

"Did she...?"

"Nope."

"Then...?"

"I didn't get a chance to finish it..." Jack sighed. The raised eyebrows merely remained in place. "I put something in motion, and now she's coming home and..." he shrugged. "I didn't get to complete my surprise."

Daniel frowned. "She's coming home too soon?" He asked. Jack nodded his head ever so slightly. "You've been moping the whole time she's been gone, and now that she's coming back you're moping because... what? She's coming home before you can complete your plan?"

"I wasn't moping," Jack said defiantly.

"I believe you were, O'Neill."

Daniel simply smirked at Teal'c's comment, while Jack shot him a glare.

"What does it matter anyway?" He added. "Now I've got to come up with something else..."

The four men sat in silence for while, contemplating Jack's options.

"You could always continue," Cam remarked. In truth, he didn't have a clue what the others were on about, but he wasn't about to let that stop him from commenting. "Well, if you've put all the trouble into making this plan work then..."

Jack pretended to contemplate that thought for a moment. "You know, Mitchell, I think you were right the first time..."

"I was?"

"Yeah," Jack nodded. "I think she's already figured it out..."

"So...?" Daniel asked, earning himself another glare. "What now?"

"Now?" Jack sighed. "It's on to plan B."

"Shouldn't that be plan C?"

"Watch it..."


	7. Chapter 7

Somehow they had ended up on the bed fully clothed.

Jack knew that once all the formalities were over, Sam would escape to her guest quarters and quietly mourn the loss of her command in private. A mixture of pain and relief had crossed her face when he'd stuck his head around the door and peered inside.

He'd enveloped her in a fierce hug the moment that she'd taken one step towards him. And somehow, between her silent and yet tearless sobs, he had pulled her down onto the bed and held her close.

They had lain there in silence for quite some time, Jack flat on his back with Sam's head in the crook of his arm. His fingers ran up and down her back every so often; hers simply toying with his shirt.

"You know," Jack's voice was soft and quiet. "If someone had told me many years ago, where I'd be right now... I never would have believed them...That some smart, sexy female scientist - and that point alone is worthy of _something_ – would be interested in _me_..."

Sam's hand stilled on his chest and she shifted slightly, raising her head and throwing him a small smile, before settling back down into his embrace.

"A woman under my command," Jack continued, "Would end up wanting me for more than just a tool to work her way up the ladder..." He shook his head.

"Somehow you worked your way through my defences... latched onto a part of me that I forgot even existed... and then..." He paused, taking a moment to swallow. "Somehow along the way, I guess I lost control and you... you took me over and now..." He sighed, part of him not knowing how to continue. "You know I'm not very good at these things," he murmured. "But... even though I hate what has happened, I'm glad that I've got you back..."

Sam held him tighter, her own voice mute for a moment.

"Jack...?" After a few beats of silence, she twisted within his grasp and lifted her head, resting her chin on her hand upon his chest. "Were you... just comparing me to a military tactic?"

He glanced down at her face, his own expression deliberately blank. "A coup?" She had one eyebrow cocked up, a smile threatening to emerge upon her lips. He shrugged. "Well... it was a good move – effective, concise..."

If his hands weren't busy elsewhere, Sam was sure he would have waved one in the air. She rewarded him with one of her trademark grins.

"Well," she said, "I guess that makes two of us..." She watched as Jack's expression managed to mirror her own from just moments before. "You're not the only one whose world was invaded and thrown upside down..." They shared a smile and suddenly Sam felt a weight leave her shoulders. "And I feel the same..." she whispered. "Being apart for so long was hard... and yet part of me can't help but think, in the long run, maybe it's done us some good..."

"You do?" Jack asked. They studied each other for a few moments, taking in each other's expressions, each suddenly conscious of where their bodies came into contact.

"Yeah," Sam nodded, a grin threatening to split her face. "It also means we get to make up for lost time..."

Her lips touched his softly, his hand appearing under her chin and pulling her closer. Despite their talk, the caress was pure warmth rather than any form of desperation. Jack suddenly realised that this was their first kiss since she'd set foot on the planet. And it had surpassed all his expectations.

They pulled apart slowly and resumed their previous positions, eyes still wandering over each other's faces. In a beat of sudden clarity, Jack wondered what he'd been waiting for all this time.

Just as his lips parted to speak, a knock sounded heavily on the door. They both paused, their eyes flicking to each others, before Sam pulled back slightly.

"Who is it?" She called out.

"It's Daniel."

A puff of air flew over her face and Sam couldn't help but chuckle silently at Jack's frustration.

"It's open."

The door creaked open, and Daniel poked his head around it, suddenly appearing somewhat uncomfortable when he saw the two of them sprawled out on the bed. Sam's chin was resting on Jack's chest, her eyes now gazing up at the door, while Jack's hands sat resting on her backside.

"Er... Hi..."

But before the guest could utter another word, the door flew open and in strode Vala, with Cam and Teal'c trailing behind her. "It's jello day!"

Daniel righted himself and all four stood gazing at the couple, somewhat embarrassed.

"You do realise," Vala began, eyes wandering over the two figures and drawing out her words, "That _that_ is way more fun without any clothes...?"

Sam couldn't help but grin at the woman before her. She pulled away from the warmth of Jack's body and attempted to sit up.

"We just came to see that you were okay," Daniel offered, trying to change the subject. Hands deep in his pockets, he shifted awkwardly from side to side.

"And grab some jello," Vala inputted.

"Blue?" Jack asked Vala, his legs swinging over the bed and shoulder deliberately bumping Sam's as he settled beside her.

Vala nodded. "And they have some cake, of course..."

Sam and Jack exchanged a look.

Jack hid a smile and glanced up at the others. "Commissary, it is..." He said, and stood up as the others began heading out of the door. A hand suddenly snaked into his, preventing him from moving and he glanced back at the woman still sitting on the bed.

Sam offered him a sad smile and squeezed his hand gently. Knowing what she was trying to say, Jack cocked his head to one side and gave her a lopsided smile. He gave her hand a quick squeeze before tugging on her arm and pulling her up to his side. "Later," he whispered. He had plenty of time, after all.


	8. Chapter 8

"Jack?"

"Out here," He called back, his fingers continuing to adjust the dial, eyes still glued to the telescope. "You all packed?" He asked, the minute he heard Sam appear beside him. Pulling his head back, he raised his eyebrows at her to accentuate his question and momentarily divert her attention from what he was doing.

Sam narrowed her eyes at the scene before her briefly, before answering his question. "Yeah... I just called Cassie too - told her we'd meet her for lunch once we've arrived."

Jack merely nodded. "Sounds good. What about your brother?"

"He's good."

"Still happy with us coming to visit?"

"Yeah he said he wants hear all about my time 'abroad'... Jack?"

"Good luck with that one." He replied, ignoring her other question.

"Jack?" Sam asked again, her arm slipping round his shoulder.

"Hmmm?"

Jack shifted slightly in his seat and Sam took full advantage by lowering herself into his lap. "Why have you set up the telescope?"

Jack merely shrugged. "Full moon. Wanna have a look?"

Sam smiled and nodded her head briefly, allowing herself to shift in Jack's grasp before leaning forward to peer into the lens.

Hands on her hips to steady her, Jack felt the moment she stilled, her breath catching in her throat. Holding his own breath, he could feel both their pulses racing through him, all sounds disappearing but for the heartbeat echoing in his ears.

After what felt like an eternity, Sam pulled back. She looked back at him, eyes wide and boring into his for a moment before diverting back to the lens to check that yes, she really was seeing what she thought she was seeing.

Instead of the telescope being pointed up at the sky, it was aiming at a sign. A handmade sign. One in Jack's handwriting, and spelling out the words 'Will You Marry Me?'

The second time Sam pulled back, she was sporting the biggest grin he'd ever seen.

Jack couldn't help but grin back. "So... What do you say?"

Sam slowly slipped her arms around his neck and drew out her reply. "Yes..."

Their eyes gazed into each other's before Jack leaned forward to kiss her. Long, slow and sensuous; hot breaths mingling one into the other as their hearts pounded in their chests.

Pulling back, Sam shifted to rest within Jack's arms, her back against his chest, their heads side by side. She bit her lip to curb her grin, feeling his warm breath cascade onto her shoulder.

"So," Sam murmured, her eyes sweeping the area around them. "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" She could feel his smile even without turning her head.

"Put that sign up?" She replied, eyes still following the direction of the telescope. "You would have had to light it up somehow, and I don't see any position where you could do that without it being obvious... let alone anywhere to hang a sign like that..."

Jack merely pressed a kiss to her shoulder. She could still feel that smile upon his lips.

"Jack...?"

"Hmmm..." The vibration of his voice ran down her body to her toes, leaving a tingling sensation in its wake. "You said surprise you..."

"Yeah... I did didn't I?"

"Yes... and if I told you it would ruin the surprise... so let a guy keep his secrets huh?"

A rumpled laugh worked its way up her throat. "Okay..."

She gazed back out at the night sky, the moon and stars twinkling high above them as they sat cocooned together on a rickety old lawn chair.

"You're not going to stop trying to work it out are you?" Jack asked, another smile on his lips.

"Nope!"

He chuckled, sending another wave of shivers down her spine.

"So what took you so long?"

Jack rose an eyebrow at her as she canted her head, giving him a sideways glance. A sly smile traced her lips.

"I wanted it to be perfect."

Sam stroked the arms that encased her. "You could have done anything and it would have been perfect..."

Jack simply squeezed her tight in reply. "But it wouldn't have been much of a surprise, would it?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know, maybe..."

"Besides," Jack continued, "Your brain normally works everything out way in advance... I gotta keep you on your toes sometime you know..."

She chuckled again, this time sending tingles down Jack's spine. He pulled her closer, feeling the heat from her body seep into his chest.

"I love you," Jack murmured, his hot breath whispering across her ear.

She turned her head, her own lips skittering across his cheek. "Always?" She practically whispered.

"Always."


End file.
